Coasting Into Fall

Wow, a whole week has gone by and I haven't posted a blog update. Remember those times when I used to post daily?  Sometimes I even posted twice a day. Whatever happened to those days?  I think I got caught up in life. Yes, that's what happened.  

These days I'm enjoying the change of seasons. I think fall is perhaps my favorite time of year. Probably because I was born in the fall. 

I have fantasized about living in California where the weather is always sunny (mostly)   But I know I would miss the change of seasons.  I would miss the smell and sound of falling leaves. The brisk air.  Of course what I don't miss is the snow.  I hate the snow, even more so now that I fear falling.  Remember I fell on the ice leaving work three years ago, tearing my quadricep muscle in my left leg. That accident put me out of commission for twelve weeks while I recuperated after surgery to reattach my quadricep leg muscle. My leg hasn't been he same since.  Just something else I have to deal with in my aging process.  By the way I'll be seventy-eight years old in a few weeks. WTF? How did I ever get here?  A subject for another blog post for sure.

Have to get going now. I have some phone calls to make to arrange an appointment to have my heating system checked and my rugs cleaned. Not the most interesting post here for sure, but just keeping my regular blog followers up to date with the goings on here at Casa Tipton-Kelly. 

Happy Autumn!

Halloween is over. Now we begin the long slide into "The Holidays".  Next up Thanksgiving then Christmas.  "The Holidays seem to come around very fast doesn't it?

This morning I received the results of my labs that I took last week at the VA Outpatient Clinic. Everything is within the range. Of some concern is my PSA score, it's doubled. Still below the range but doubled. My VA doctor suggested that I discuss this with my urologist who I see next week.  It's been five years since my seed implant for prostate cancer.  I still have my prostate (I need it) but I'm not going to do anything drastic. I would like to say I'm not concerned but I am, a bit. Hopefully I can put some distance between this discouraging news and other events, like the election next week.  Oh man, I hope I live long enough to see Trump removed from office.

The falls colors finally put in an appearance this morning. Nice!

I Fell

Me at the Emergency Room at Beebe Hospital (again)

Last night I slipped and fell on a patch of ice as I left the hotel.  I had just went out the front door and rounded the corner and WHAM!  I was on my side.  

I laid their awhile to feel if anything was broken.  Sore, I struggled up to go to my car but decided instead to go back into the hotel so sit and evaluate myself because something didn't feel right on the left side of my knee.

Three steps in the front door and a bolt of pain shot right up through my skull!  On a scale of 1 to 10, the paid was 20!  I hit the floor like a sack of potatoes.  And I lay there.  I.COULD.NOT. GET.UP.

My body started to violently tremble (shock).   My mind was racing, "what happened to me?" It only took me a few seconds to realize I had seriously injured myself.  Immediately I thought of the time fifty-three years ago when I was in the Army and one of my Army buddies was horse playing around when we were playing pool, which resulted in me dislocating my right knee.  I thought I had dislocated my left knee.

I lay there on the rug, and the warm lobby (thank God I fell inside), and mentally went over my options.  "Call 911 for an ambulance."  Beebe Hospital was only three blocks up Savannah Road from the hotel.  Here we go again, the ambulance comes for Ron and transports me (again) to the Emergency Room.  

The emergency responders arrived in about ten minutes.  At first I was worried that I had locked the glass door and they wouldn't be able to get into the hotel lobby to get me.  They would have to break the door because I couldn't move without excruciating pain.  I was planning gone crawling to the door.  Thank goodness the door was unlocked and they came in with their stretcher.  

Now wasn't that a sight them trying to lift my 170 lbs of dead weight on that stretcher without me crying in agonizing pain?

Not to make this an excruciating long story but they transported me the three blocks to Beebe Hospital's emergency room.  Again I was so thankful that I didn't live out in the boondocks but instead, just down the street (Savannah Road) from the hospital.

I made my calls on my cell phone.  I was just about to call Bill, when I hear my iPhone beeping.  It was Bill.  I tell him to ask our neighbor Bob M. to bring him down to the hotel so he could get my car and then bring it over to the hospital.

The emergency room staff went through The Drill, which I know now having been to this particular emergency room five times since I moved to Delaware.  My name, date of birth, any allergies, medications, and insurance. 

That done and by now Bill and Bob had arrived. Thank God again I have Bill and a wonderful neighbor like Bob.

X-rays were taken. I get wheeled back to Bill and Bob to await the results of the X-rays.  About a half an hour later the doctor on duty rounds the corner and approaches me with papers in his hand.  The good news . . . no broken bones.  The bad news . . . . my knee pad (what I felt to the left side of my knee right after I fell) was out of place.  He said I would need an MRI at an orthopedic doctor's office.  X-rays only show bones. MRI's will show cartilage and ligaments. I have an appointment tomorrow at 11:10 AM to have that MRI taken.

I am not going to go into the medical terms of the two sheets of the single lined report the doctor gave me but it appears that my knee "padding" is askew.  

The doctor left the papers with me and turned me over to his assistant who put a leg brace on me.  That's what I have now.  I cannot bend my left leg.  Trying going to the bathroom that way (and in my little "mediation" room which I so love for it's privacy but now it's little tight for a 6'3" guy with a straight left leg.

So here I am hobbling around the house, doing everything I can to avoid putting pressure on my leg the wrong way and sending lightening bolts of pain through the top of my head and throwing me to the floor.

You just can't make this stuff up.

It's 10 degrees and very windy outside and I'm wearing shorts.  Same forecast for tomorrow when I venture out of this warm, cozy house for my doctor's appointment.

Saturday Morning Musings

Casa Tipton-Kelly (yesterday evening at sunset)

Tomorrow my friend Pat from Toronto, Canada will arrive for a ten day visit.  Pat brought a lot in nearby Milton to build his retirement home.  This is the first time he will see the lot in person.  Bill and I stopped up this morning to check to make sure it is still there, it was.  With the early morning sun shining down on the changing color of the trees, it was beautiful.

Pat and his smoothie

Bill and stopped by Peppers greenhouse.  I bought four more flats of winter pansies.  Just when I think I have enough flowers, not enough. I have to get those planted to today.  Thank goodness today is another gorgeous, fall, 72 degree, low humidity day.

On Wednesday Pat and I will head up to visit my brother Isaac at the Tipton ancestral home in Downingtown.  I'll bore show him around my childhood haunts. Then it's off to Philadelphia to celebrate my 72nd birthday.  We'll be staying at the Latham Hotel on 17th Street in Philadelphia.

Latham Hotel, Philadelphia, PA

 
For more years than I care to remember I used to walk by the Latham Hotel on the way to work (at Girard/Mellon Bank) and think "Someday I would like to stay there."  Well, "someday" is here folks.  We'll settle ourselves in the luxurious accommodations of the Latham for the following three days.  Hopefully we'll meet up with Dr. Spo on Sunday.  During the rest of our stay I'll bore show Pat where I used to live and work and play when I lived in Philadelphia during the 60's, 70's and 80's. Quite a history folks.  And yes, I plan to stop in a gay bar……or two.  Should be interesting because Pat's never been in a gay bar. 

The Westbury Bar - first gay bar I ever went to in Philadlephia  in 1963 and where I met Bill

When I was young and full of disdain for older guys hanging out at gay bars this should also be interesting because now I will be one of those "old pities" which is what my self-absorbed arrogant friends and I used to refer to older gay guys who hung out at the bar.  Turnabout is fair play…..I guess.  

So that's my Gay Agenda for today folks.  I hope to keep my blog going next week folks but maybe not.  One thing I'm pretty sure of….if I do post there won't be any old photos because I'm not at my iMac but on my iPad.  Also, the posts may be shorter.  We'll see. 

Now I better get out there and start planting those pansies!

Pansies at the front doorstep ready for planting today!

Weekly Roundup

Yet another very interesting week!  First there was the absolutely dismal performance of President Obama at the first presidential debate.  There I was, ready with my iPad and Twitter account, ready to tweet my emotions out to the Internet.  And then the debate happen.  A manic Mitt Romney who quickly took over the debate, rolling over the moderator, Jim Lehrer.  And then there was our hero, President Obama who looked like he DIDN'T WANT TO BE THERE.  Hey, I'm no debater but I do know the rules of Debate 101, LOOK AT YOUR OPPONENT and LOOK AT THE CAMERA WHEN TALKING TO THE 66 MILLION PEOPLE WHO WERE WATCHING.

All was lost though.  On Friday the new jobs report came out and for the first time in President Obama's administration the unemployment rate fell below 8% to 7.8%.  I was watching "Morning Joe" and thoroughly enjoyed watching loud mouth, big head, resident conservative Joe Scarborough become unhinged when the news came through.  A few minutes later I saw the tweet from that old toad who used to run GE and own NBC, Jack Welch make a total fool out of himself by tweeting:

Jack Welch, for GE CEO and now a Crusty Old Toad

"Unbelievable jobs numbers, these Chicago guys will do anything, can't debate so change numbers"

Mr. Welch, crawl back under your rock. You just made a complete fool out of yourself.  Is it me or shouldn't someone of Mr. Welch's credentials be happy that our country's unemployment rate has fallen?  Or is Jack one of those whose priority is seeing President Obama fail?  Jack, with your tweet you just destroyed whatever creditability you had left.

This week is the vice presidential debate between Vice President Joe Biden and the marathon liar, Representative Paul Ryan.  I doubt if Old Joe will play Rope a Dope like President Obama did.

As you can tell, I LOVE politics.

On Wednesday I went to a memoir writing class at Delaware Tech.  Usually I don't get too much out of classes but this two hour class I learned a lot.  It was held by our local talent and national author and book publisher, Fay Jacobs.  You will see the results of this class in my future writings.

This was the first week in which I didn't have a doctor's appointment.  THAT was nice.  However, this won't last.  Next week I have an appointment with my cardiologist to go over my recent series of tests.  I also have another appointment with my dermatologist.  I'm still paying the price for all those years of sun worshiping.

I worked again only two nights at the hotel.  It is so refreshing to know the certainty of my work schedule.  I was busy but I didn't mind because I knew I was only working two nights and not on call for the rest of the week like I've been for the past year.

My big accomplishment of the week was cleaning up my e-mail accounts.  I had fallen so far behind in my AOL account, I had just given up.  I had a total of 1,789 messages that I didn't read.  Granted, many of them were ads from companies like J. C. Penney, political campaign contribution requests, and genealogy requests.  Buried among all those e-mails were "legitimate" e-mails.  I was embarrassed to find out that the friends who sent me those e-mails thought I had ignored them.  I apologized to them.  My e-mail accounts (I have three of them; also gmail and MSN but I don't use them as often).

Today I planted my fall bulbs and did a some yard cleanup. I am ready to hibernate in Casa Tipton-Kelly, secure from the biting cold winds of winter.

Weekly Roundup

Another week flashed by folks and what a week it was!

This was the week I voted at my new polling location, the Cape Henlopen High School.  What a mess that was!  As usual, the local Slower Lower government (aka Sussex County, Delaware) didn't disappointment with their ineptness in arranging a public location for a civic event which they made almost impossible to access.  Yes folks, the local political mucky mucks arranged to have our new voting location at the Cape Henlopen High School, DURING A SCHOOL DAY, DURING CONSTRUCTION OF THE ENTRANCE TO THE SCHOOL, and WHERE THERE WAS NO PARKING.  Welcome to Sussex County's voter suppression.

Well, after about an hour of dodging and overcoming these hurdles I voted and the next day I was very pleased to discover that BOTH of the gay candidates I voted for WON!  It's about time.  Here on the east coast of southern Delaware, we of the gay community of mainly occupy this little sliver of land from Rehoboth Beach, Lewes, and Milton are now finally going to have our OWN representation and not have to beg and plead (and kiss ass) with the local STRAIGHT lawmakers to get some equality here for our increasingly gay heavy population.  Yes Virginia, a gay man and a gay woman won election.  See here.

Andy Staton, our new state senator candidate

Yes, Any is "straight friendly."  Congratulations Andy on your victory!

Marie Mayor, new state house representative candidate

Marie has a business nearby where I live called (appropriately) "Lavender Fields."  I would say!  For news of her election victory see here.  Of course these are both primary wins.  I fully expect the straight candidates to pull out all stops to emphasize the fact that they are the "family values" candidates with the prerequisite photos of them and their families, holding their adorable children.  This will be Marie Mayor's Republican opposition in the November general election.

Tom "I'm Straight!" holding Princess Suri

Ernie Lopez, winner of the Republican primary for state senator, with the "Tom Cruise "Look I'm Straight!" holding his daughter (who is old enough to stand on her own two feet).  

The Lopez Family (holding those kids again)

This was the week (staying on the political theme) that the Romney campaign blew itself up by Romney's blatantly political opportunistic Hail Mary pass to take the lead in the presidential race by blaming president Obama for the assault on the U.S. Embassy in Cairo even before it happen.  Romney, by his action this week, showed that he is nothing more than a crass political opportunist who is driven by nothing more than ambition.  This week was Romney's "Lehman Moment".  This in reference to the last presidential campaign when John McCain decided to "suspend" his campaign so he could "fix" the economic crises brought on by the eight years of the Bush-Cheney regime.

Mitt Romney - Loser

Enough for politics. The second in the series of my heart tests went all right (I guess).  I had an echocardiogram.  I was very impressed that my heart has been beating three score and ten years.  Keep on beating heart!

Friday I visited my general practitioner doctor and was pronounced fit to serve another ten years or more of  blog postings.

Yesterday I visited my friends who were removed to a furnished condo, after no longer able to care for themselves.  The one is the same age as me and the other nine years younger than Bill (my love).  Seeing them in their troubled and helpless situation made me realize how fortunate Bill and I are to still have our  good health and our wits about us.  I would like to attribute that happy circumstance to the fact that Bill and I stimulate our minds and bodies with lots of activity unlike our friends who seemed to atrophy after they retired.

I started work my new shift of Mondays and Tuesdays at the hotel, replacing my former shift of Wednesday and Thursday.  Of course I still get the questions of "What are your rooms like?" (NICE!  What do you expect me to say?)  and the ever popular "Do you have a pool?" (NO!)  Working at the beginning of the week instead of smack dab in the middle of the week makes it seem like I have a longer week which is good.

Impatiens

I feel fall in the air.  Unfortunately our resident rabbit in our backyard ate all of our impatiens plants.  Impatiens plants do so well in the fall.  They struggle in the summer heat but provide a wonderful palette of cool color in the fall.  That's not to be this fall so don't look for my annual blog header photo of our impatiens.

Bill and I are off to an abandoned church cemetery in Gumboro, Delaware (near the Maryland border) this morning.  There is a chill in the crisp pre autumn air this morning, perfect for exploring and taking photos in an old Delaware cemetery in the hinterlands.

Have a great week!

Still Hurting

Jim, Bob and Me - Old Guys With Problems - still smiling

Slowly I am making a recovery.  I am still experiencing a lot of pain, especially after typing or using my right hand for anything.  I'll tell you one thing, I have a new appreciation of using both limbs.


I am right handed.  When I fell I automatically put out my right arm to brace myself (from preventing from falling in the glass door).  That was a mistake.  I should have let my full body weight fall.  But then I may have injured something else, like my collar bone.


On the first day of my injury I couldn't even lift my right arm.  I could put no pressure on it at all.  Which meant that I couldn't brush my teeth, peel a potato, or even use a knife to cut a piece of meat.  I had to learn to take a shower and wash myself with my left hand.  Even going to the bathroom was a problem.  I know, TMI but going to the bathroom and "taking care of business" was even difficult if not impossible.


Since Sunday I have been spending most of my time in bed reading, watching TV and sleeping.  Time is what will heal my arm.


I went to the doctor on Tuesday and she suggested that I have my arm X-rayed, which I did.  Yesterday she said there were "questions" about the X-ray (whatever that means).  She said the orthopedic unit of the hospital would be calling me.  They haven't called yet.  I called the doctor's office today but no one was answering the phone, all five times that I called.


Each day my arm is a little less sore but it is still very painful and I still can't put any pressure on it at all.  I cannot drive because I get shooting pains up my forearm when I make a left hand turn.  Those shooting pains (like an electric shock) are so painful that it distracts my attention from driving.  As a matter of fact, just this little bit of typing is causing ever increasing pain so I'm going to bring this posting to a close now.


Oh, just a note on the picture of the entrance to the American Legion Post 28, no Mark, that wasn't my car in the handicapped parking spot.  I almost always park far away from any entrance mainly to protect my car from dings (which I got one anyway) and for the exercise.  I'm not one of these people who abuses the handicap parking slot.  In fact, the people who do abuse that privilege is one of my pet peeves.


The picture on this blog is of me and my friends Jim and Bob who stopped over for a visit today.  I'm glad they stopped over because it took my mind off of feeling sorry for myself.


I am really looking forward to getting back got normal.  This is the first time in my life I ever injured my arm.  It has caused me to realize how fortunate I am to have both limbs that work.  I will never take them for granted again.  


Now that I'm hurting big time again I will end.